Maturity in Devotional Service – 1

The following is a transcription of an astounding lecture delivered by our Guru Maharaj H H Mahavishnu Goswami on 27th Jan 2009 in Rajkot on the verse 2.6.37. The central theme of this discourse is ‘Maturity in Devotional Service’.

“Since neither Lord Siva nor you nor I could ascertain the limits of spiritual happiness, how can other demigods know it? And because all of us are bewildered by the illusory external energy of the Supreme Lord, we can see only this manifested cosmos according to our individual ability.”

Maturity is very important in devotional service. Unless you attain maturity the propagation of Krishna consciousness is not very easily possible. The father or grandfather can guide the children or grandchildren because they are mature. If they are not mature even grandchildren will not respect them. Mature person is obeyed. Immature person is hated. I know very clearly, in one family one man was very strong man but (mental) balance was not there, somehow or other imbalance was there. Children could immediately recognize. Mature man is the controller of the house. This (immature)man will sit somewhere and the children will play around him and will not obey him.

Maturity always gives us one thing, that we completely shut our lips from the material things. Only to the required extent we speak. That is spiritual maturity. (If you are absorbed in Bhagavatam) At the most somebody may accuse you, that “You are only reading Bhagavatam”. That is good accusation. I mean to say, since Krishna can never be blamed, if we are with Krishna, then we cannot be blamed as well. This is the sign of maturity. And we cannot become mature, unless we take the lessons from the verses like this. Always as soon as the verse comes in front of us, there are different meanings. The whole Bhagavatam has a one meaning. That is included in this verse. srimad bhagavatam puranam amalam yat vaishnavaanaam priyam – This is the general purpose. The whole Bhagavatam is amalam – spotless. That is the general purpose and it is included here. Then you come to the canto in which this verse is located. So canto has a purpose again. So that purpose is also included here. Then you come to the chapter, it has its own purpose. That is also included here. And then you come to verse. The verse has something to tell you. Again you have to be clear about that message. And again you should not stop there. You go to each word and each word has meaning. So there is unlimited knowledge in one verse. It is not very easily possible in human existence to think about these things. Such an apaurusheya literature is in front of us. A conditioned soul cannot write this. With all things in my mind, I cannot write a single letter. What to talk of so many purports? Again we have to remember Bhagavatam, we have to remember canto, again the chapter, then the verse, then the words. This way there is no doubt that this is coming from the higher authority. And that’s why it is non-different from Krishna. Not written by conditioned and re-conditioned soul. We are conditioned and re-conditioned. (laughter).

We create so many difficult situations for ourselves, that we are not only baddha (conditioned) but we are re-conditioned. Re-conditioning means we must have A/C, to stay in Abu dhabi (laughter). Then we must have big screen of television. Big recondition. And also wife to cook – re-condition again. We must have children to play around till they are young. These things bind us to the material energy.

It is impossible to find out the literature of this stature wherein not a single thing is there which anybody will disagree. Not even one thing. Nobody can disagree with Bhagavatam. This is why it is amala-purana. And maturity is that really if you have unflinching faith in this then we don’t require anything. This is maturity. And then we don’t need to run here and there for any other achievement. Everything we get from Bhagavatam.That we cannot get from Bhagavatam, we cannot get anytime from anywhere else. That is Krishna’s arrangement. So please don’t lose the courage. Particularly in trying circumstances we must be very clear about this. Otherwise so many astrologers are there.., the bird (parrot) astrologer is there, and we go and spend 20 Rs with him to know the whole life!

The thing is our situation is very serious in the sense that we are completely enamored by the illusory presentation. You go to see a mall, you are completely lost! Such bright lights in the night! Night is not meant for bright lights. So many things, you don’t know really what to buy and what not to buy. So many things we don’t require and we buy. This is illusion. We don’t attain the maturity by even thinking that what is needed for us. If you have a house, that doesn’t mean that the whole scratch must come into the house. Only required things should be in the house. Maturity in every field is a must. Our house also cannot really run unless we are mature. Otherwise everywhere we dump, everywhere dirty things are there. Frankly speaking if you are not careful, our half the house should be thrown away to clear. Now more so, because of these computers. So many papers and mills and unnecessary things come everyday we have to tear off. Otherwise piles will be there. This is maturity and the message of this maturity is very clear. That we don’t depend upon anybody. Again to be very mature, this principle that we don’t depend upon anybody should not give us the arrogance. Otherwise we become arrogant. So arrogance and self-dependent – there is a very thin line in between. I depend fully upon Krishna but at the same time my humble attitude is there. Humility is 100% there. I know everything what is happening around and I do my best to do whatever I am doing. Our duties should go on. Not that “Ah, Krishna will sort out”. Arrogance should not be there. This is maturity. You know the verse,

phalino namanti vrkshaah – the tree that has so many fruits, it always bends down. gunino namanti janaah – the persons who are full of good qualities, they are also humble. Sushkam ca kaashtam ca – you know the tree that is dry and stands straight, it will not bend so it breaks. If the storm is there, it will not bend, so it breaks – na tu namyate. It will never bend. All different slokas will give us one pattern of behavior. That we should follow. Here maturity in all fields we have to attain.

The example of three mahajanas are given. See Prabhupada’s clarity in it! These three svayambhu, narada and shambu. The sloka begins like this:

So total 12 mahajanas but 3 are in the beginning. Prabhupada has given very nice insight – that these three why they are in front. They are the most important. What is that sentence from the purport? “We have many times mentioned the names of twelve selected authorities (dvaadasha-mahajana), of which Brahma, Narada and Lord Siva head the list as the first, second and third in order of merit of those who know something of the Supreme Lord.”

Order of the merit – So they should be ahead number 1, 2 and 3 and then comes the other mahajanas. So now we are clear in our mind that among mahajanas also these three should come first. This is maturity. And here Brahma says that all these Narada, Shambu, they say that I don’t know the limit of Him. So how can Asharam know about it? This is maturity. All Asharams are out of our sight. There are so many Asharams.

The maturity from all angle of thinking must be there. Maturity is a gift, it cannot be cultivated. Gift can only be there if you behave good. If cent percent Krishna consciousness is there, then He will give the gift of maturity. Maturity cannot be adopted. We cannot have maturity unless He is merciful. The onus is again on us. To the extent we do sincere devotional service, to that extent we will have maturity. There is no need of running after any person, but the person who tries to explain the things like Prabhupada we should follow. Really how nicely Prabhupada has explained this point? Nobody has told us so far that Svayambu, Narada and Shambu are 1,2 and 3 in the list of Mahajanas. I mean to say, transcendentally there is no difference between the Mahajanas.The maturity is, in Bhagavatam also may be we are not able to study the whole thing but wherever Brahma speaks, Narada speaks or Siva speaks we must be very attentive.

There are so many manufactured mahajanas. There is mahajana producing factory in India (laughter). Once we settle this, our whole attention is focused. So far we are not focused. Brahma cannot know the limits, Narada cannot know, who are we to know? I immediately claim that I know everything. This hypocritic attitude will kill our maturity. Don’t be hypocritic. Damba must be completely avoided. The person who is mature in the real sense of the term, will not show the maturity, he will show in behavior. That’s why Brahma is very clear. He says, “I don’t know, you don’t know and he doesn’t know, we three don’t know how can the other demigods know?” Then what to speak of anybody else?

The thing is we are in a bad world, and in this to have spiritual maturity it is impossible. That’s why for this reason we have to have unflinching faith in Him and the behavior pattern should be always in a devotional way. otherwise we can’t go forward. ‘Show’ will not work. Wrappers doesn’t change the content. We are wrapped in dhoti and kurtha. Content does not change. If the content is purified, wrapper eventually becomes famous. Purification of the ‘content’ requires understanding of these verses and reading in-between the lines.

Aham sarvasya prabhavo we don’t understand at all. aham sarvasya prabhavomaturity is completely nil. That’s why like a mad person we are running here and there. Even then in the body there may be something wrong, so some ayurvedic treatment may be required. But be matured about that treatment also. Too much treatment is no treatment at all. The treatment which is required unlimited, that treatment we don’t give. Bhagavatam is required unlimited. No other treatment is required. And Prabhupada has given so many purports, lectures, tapes, and so many paraphernalia. We may not be able to read or hear all these during our lifetime.

This is the way. Even one page is enough for a day to study. We should read canto-wise. That’s how continuous study must go on. We should not stop with one reading. We should continue again and again. Otherwise like Humayun – he was conquering the countries. Once he conquered one country, he stopped thinking that he has conquered. In the mean time the country was lost. We should do nityam bhagavata sevaya. Regularly we must do study. Other treatments are not required. This is maturity.

Krishna willing, we will continue with the transcription of this transcendental lecture of our Guru Maharaj in the subsequent offering.

Thank you very much.

Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Kalacakra Krsna das